


In Brambles

by magicalzombiebear



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sleeping Beauty Fusion, Angst, Canon Compliant, Fairytale Fusion, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Malec, Sleeping Beauty Elements, set after 2x10
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-09
Updated: 2017-03-09
Packaged: 2018-10-01 12:23:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10189832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicalzombiebear/pseuds/magicalzombiebear
Summary: “Finally..” he breathed, fully expecting Alec’s name to be on the screen. Suffice to say, it was not.“Jackson, I really don’t have time for-““Alec’s hurt.”While some things changed, there were certain things that stayed the same. Magnus had always been a very caring person, even when it came to people he didn’t know very well. And when it came to the people he loved…“I’m portalling now.”“Magnus, there are demons every-““Silence. I said I’m portalling now, and that is what I’m going to do.”ORThe Shadowhunters equivalent of Sleeping Beauty featuring Malec





	

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to do the whole Malec Sleeping Beauty thing, but with my own twist. So it's still set in the Shadowhunters world. It's kind of like, what would happen if Sleeping Beauty took place in the shadow world. Enjoy!

Things with Valentine had settled since his capture, but with everyone still so preoccupied with him, no one saw an attack coming. Especially not after the Institute had already been attacked by Valentine two weeks before. It was Lydia who noticed them first, braid whipping behind her as she turned from screen to screen, attempting to pinpoint the unwanted guest.

“There’s something on the scanners. I’m picking up demonic activity.”

Jace, now once again living in the Institute after his brother’s takeover, leant over the girl’s shoulder. They both peered at the screen, noticing tiny blips of activity all around the Institute.

“This thing must be broken. There can’t be demons here-“ he pointed to where the wards began. “We would have been alerted of a breach.”

Just then, an alarm sounded throughout every room. Shadowhunters began moving at top speed, recognizing the sound instantly. Every screen shifted so that two words glared up at them: Wards Breach.

“Oh.” Jace said, before he and Lydia shot up towards the weapons stock.

Alec and Isabelle were not long behind. “What are we looking at?” said Alec, attaching a holster to his thigh.

“We don’t know. The computers aren’t detecting what type of demon yet.”

Isabelle uncoiled her whip and gave it a quick test flick. “Could it be unknown?”

Jace shrugged and twirled his seraph blade before shoving it into its notch on his belt. He looked toward Lydia, who was still gearing up, and looking at one of the tablets simultaneously.  
The Lightwood siblings waited impatiently for her input. She eventually brought her head up, face solemn as though she were about to tell them their loved one was dead. That certainly didn’t bode well.

“Bramble demons.”

Bramble demons were named for their similarities to brambles: thorny, rough and hard to deal with. They had skin covered in thorns and had a rather insatiable lust for blood. They were native to Maine because of its high forest cover, but were not unheard of manifesting in New York. It was uncommon, however, for an entire army to be outside their door. Someone had to have sent them.

Isabelle gave her brother a peck on the cheek and followed Lydia toward the front entrance where a team of Shadowhunters gathered to help prepare the frontlines. Jace and Alec gave each other a nod before they clutched forearms and parted-Jace for the side entrance, Alec for the roof. 

Alec was used to being the (only) aerial assault. He was a good archer, and he could contact the rest of the group and alert them about the demon’s formation in order for them to better attack. His journey to the top of the building was quick and quiet. He could make his way there in his sleep he’d done it so many times. 

As he made his way outside into the chill, he heard voices from the opposite end of the roof. As quickly as possible he hid behind a service panel and listened. He recognized the voice speaking instantaneously as Valentine. You couldn’t mistake that special blend of bravado and crazy.

The other was unfamiliar, clearly male, but younger. He could only just make out a portion of their conversation.

“-with this potion and she’ll be unable to resist. Then we sneak out amidst the battle.”

“What about the warlock child?”

“We can retrieve her later. Right now, Clarissa is more important.”

Alec’s blood boiled at the thought of Valentine touching Madzie again. There was no way he was letting him off this roof or near Clary.  
With a deep breath Alec nocked an arrow, still hidden by the panel. He ignored the whisper of voices and closed his eyes. As fast as he could he went down a list of names in his head.  
Mom.  
Max.  
Izzy.  
Jace.  
Magnus.  
“I love you.”

And then he stood up, all legs, and shot three arrows in quick succession. One hit the unidentified man, who screeched in pain. One hit Valentine’s hand, making him drop whatever he was holding. The third missed both of them and flew off the roof in the direction of Central Park.

“Ah, the prodigal Lightwood son.” 

The other man, who had blonde hair and was clutching his leg where he was injured, glared over at Alec. Alec simply stepped forward, bow at the ready.  
“Give it up Valentine.”

Valentine’s hands had risen into the air when Alec had shot him. His right hand was bleeding, but the arrow had only scratched him. Now he slowly lowered his hand, forcing Alec to brandish his weapon forwards to try and get him to stay still. “I’m just wiping it off.” He said. And true to his word, he rubbed his right hand on his pants leg before putting it back up.

Alec lowered his bow as he raised a seraph blade and threw the bow back onto his back. He grabbed his phone and, as best he could while still watching Valentine, called Izzy. She picked up on the third ring.

“Alec, what is it? We’re about to go outside.”

“I have Valentine. He and his accomplice are with me on the roof. Send me someone to contain him.”

“Oh my goodness, yes, ok.” There was some rustling and a few low voices in the background before Izzy finished the call with a, “They’re on their way.”

Alec kept the blade up near Valentine’s throat, shoving his phone into his pocket.

“You did good, Lightwood. I bet you’ll make mommy very proud.”

Alec ignored him. He looked over at the other man instead, who clutched the arrow in his leg. It looked as though he was going to pull it out.

A loud noise echoed across the front lawn, and Alec made a grave mistake. He looked over, seeing the bramble demons begin to attack. There was a wet sound and a clink, and Alec turned to see the younger blonde rushing forward, the arrow in his leg now in his hand, and pointed straight at Alec. He ducked, missing the attack, and noticed Valentine attempting to escape. His leg shot out, tripping Valentine, just as the blonde jabbed the arrow toward his side.  
Alec was able to roll out of the way and saw Valentine attempting to grab something shiny. The clink must have been him picking up the potion he had been holding when Alec shot him. He must have dropped it again when he fell, and now he was inches away from retrieving it. Alec reached too, his arm longer and therefore closer to it. 

The blonde man sat on top of him and raised the arrow up, ready to stab Alec. He swung his seraph blade and the man jumped back, narrowly missing the attack. His blade had slipped from his hand and slid towards the edge of the roof. Unfortunately that was enough time for Valentine to reach the potion.  
Alec scrambled onto his feet, kicking the blonde backwards and rushed Valentine. He grabbed Valentine’s hands, attempting to peel the potion from them. They stood, facing each other, Valentine with a smile on his face and Alec looking determined. 

He expected the blonde to come back for more, but Valentine gave him a look that seemed to say, Don’t.  
Alec’s was confused, but he continued to try and force Valentine’s fingers off of the potion, which was, he could now see, in a large syringe. Just as he felt like he was making headway, Valentine jerked his hand over and Alec felt a sharp pain in his palm. He tried to move his hands away, but the blonde came up behind him and placed his own seraph blade to his neck. 

“I was saving this for Clarissa, but I suppose we can get her one way or another.”

He pushed the plunger in and Alec felt a numbness where the potion hit him. It started in his hand but swiftly made its way up his arm. Alec fell, watching as Valentine and the blonde man escaped out the door and out of sight.  
The sounds of the battle below filled his ears as the potion reached his heart. It was funny, how he could hear this terrible battle below him as he stared up into the night sky, which was so calm. It was like looking at a waterfall while death metal blared in your ears.  
He didn’t know what this potion was going to do to him, though logically if it was meant for Clary it probably wouldn’t kill him. Still, he closed his eyes and with each of his breaths went through a list of names.  
Mom.  
His shoulder was numb.  
Max.  
His breath was evening out.  
Izzy.  
Was this what calm felt like?  
Jace.  
He’d only ever felt like this with…  
Magnus.  
It had reached his heart.  
“I love you.”

 

Magnus understood that his boyfriend was very busy, but he did not understand how he could ignore every text he had sent him.  
They had captured Valentine, and while that didn’t guarantee a parade, it certainly didn’t mean Alec was so busy he couldn’t text Magnus with a quick, ‘I’m busy’.  
With a huff the warlock poured himself his second after dinner drink and settled on his couch. He’d just have to preoccupy himself with television until he could preoccupy himself with telling Alec off, and then hopefully getting Alec off.  
Everything on seemed to either be a documentary or a reality show, and Magnus couldn’t bring himself to care about things he already knew or people he didn’t want to know. It had been pretty amazing to him, the way entertainment had developed over the years. Mundanes were insatiable creatures, and everything became boring to them after a long enough time.  
Just as he was reminiscing about silent films, Magnus’ phone rang.

“Finally..” he breathed, fully expecting Alec’s name to be on the screen. Suffice to say, it was not.

“Jackson, I really don’t have time for-“

“Alec’s hurt.”

While some things changed, there were certain things that stayed the same. Magnus had always been a very caring person, even when it came to people he didn’t know very well. And when it came to the people he loved…  
“I’m portalling now.”

“Magnus, there are demons every-“

“Silence. I said I’m portalling now, and that is what I’m going to do.”

No sooner than he ended the call did he summon a portal and step through it. He hadn’t even taken the time to grab his jacket, so the cold hit him instantly. He didn’t have time to care.  
He could see bramble demons all over the place. Clary was there, fighting alongside the best of them. Izzy was too, her whip cracking through the night like silver fireworks. With the swipe of his hand, an angry burst of red magic ripped a demon in half, sending it back to the underworld. Again and again he tore through demons as though he was tearing through actual brambles, easily hacking his way towards the front of the Institute. 

He could see no sign of Alec outside, so with one last burst of magic he blew the doors open and strode into the atrium. The few Shadowhunters there were scrambling around, entering things into computers frantically. 

A familiar blonde head came up to him, worry in his eyes.  
“Valentine got away. The Shadowhunters we sent to the roof said they saw him and an accomplice heading out the back into some sort of van. Alec was up there, lying on the ground, barely breathing.”  
His voice had grown thick with emotion, and Magnus placed a hand on his shoulder.  
“What about the demons?”

“We can handle them. A good amount of them fled when Valentine did.”

Magnus nodded. “Where is he?”

“His room. Need me to take you?”

With a smirk, Magnus shook his head no. Jace just rolled his eyes, clutched Magnus’ shoulder in a gesture of gratitude, and headed outside to finish off the bramble demons.

The last time Magnus had been there was when Alec had tried desperately to find Jace and ended up in that coma. Magnus remembered back to then, when they had only kissed once. They hadn’t even been on a date, and yet Magnus had been so worried that his Shadowhunter wouldn’t come back to him. What if they never got to find out what it was between them?

Now, in such a different place in their relationship, the possibility of losing Alec hit him ten times harder. Now he knew that what he and Alec had was special. Losing that so soon would tear him apart.  
Magnus shifted from worried boyfriend to practiced warlock. He took Alec’s pulse, felt his skin to see if it was clammy. While his heart wasn’t beating fast, it wasn’t necessarily slow either. His skin was sweat-free, and his face was relaxed, not scrunched up as though in pain.

It was almost as if the man was asleep.

He noticed a syringe on the nightstand, and looked for an entry wound on Alec’s body. He didn’t find one in his initial search, but when he grabbed the boy’s hand in comfort, he could see a tiny purple dot in the center of his palm.

“Izzy!” Magnus cried, minutes later. He had rushed out of the room, syringe in hand, hoping to find someone who would analyze the contents inside. He was just about the exit the hallway when the younger Lightwood rounded the corner, her face set.

“How is he?” she said, impatient. 

“He’s fine, as far as I can tell. But he was injected with this.” He handed the needle over. “Can you analyze any leftover residue?”

She seemed torn, between seeing her brother and helping save him. Finally, she nodded. “After one quick peek.”  
Magnus smiled, and the two headed into Alec’s room.

“I should have gone with him…” she said, after taking a seat next to him on the bed. Magnus stood at the foot of it. “Gone with him where?”

Izzy reached for her brother’s hand and clutched it in her own.

“With Alec. To the roof. Everyone else was with someone. He was the only one who went solo.”

“My dear, you know how he is. He thinks everyone should play by their strengths. One of his is working alone.”

“Not anymore.” She’d said it quietly, but Magnus knew he was meant to hear it. She smiled over at him, hand still touching Alec’s. “He’s learning how to be with someone else.”

The smile that adorned Magnus’ face was soft and loving, and Isabelle took it in hungrily. She had always wanted to see someone truly love her brother. The reality was much more meaningful than the fantasy.  
“I’ll go analyze this.” Isabelle said, standing up. “You” she pointed to Alec “analyze this.”

“Oh, I will. Thoroughly.”

Isabelle simply chuckled and walked out, presumably in the direction of the lab.

He didn’t analyze Alec, not in the sense he’d been joking about. He did send soothing waves of magic over him in case he was in pain and tried to see if he could sense any magical involvement. There was a small level of magic, the amount all magical things gave off, but nothing that could be used to tell him what kind of solution he’d been injected with.

If it was a potion, it may just have put him out of commission for a while. If it was a poison, then he could already be too late…  
It wouldn’t help anyone to think like that. He sent some more gentle waves, to ease Alec’s pain and also Magnus’ state of mind.  
Jace entered the room ten minutes later after a quick knock. He watched interestedly as Magnus continued his magical healing, arms folding across his chest as he stood.

“Izzy’s testing the substance now. I can’t be sure of what’s wrong until she’s done.”

Jace nodded. He sidled up to the bed and sat near Alec’s hip. Magnus paused his ministrations so Jace could have a moment, and sat down in a nearby chair.  
“He keeps doing this, huh?”

Magnus nodded. “For an early riser, he sure does spend a lot of time unconscious.”

Jace patted Alec’s stomach. “He’s strong. He’ll be fine.”

“Of course. If he can survive Maryse and I in a shared space, this is a cakewalk.”

The background noises of New York didn’t make it into the Institute, so every silence was heavy. It weighed on Magnus as every second ticked by, and threatened to eat him alive. 

Jace looked similarly tortured. His face was tight, expression somewhere between anxious and vengeful. Their eyes met for a moment as they tried to tell each other without words how much it hurt to see Alec like this.  
Jace sighed, and began to speak, but before the words could leave his mouth the door opened and Isabelle entered, Clary and Simon in tow. The couple was covered in ichor, and it made Magnus laugh to himself when he realized that Jace and Isabelle had come out of the same battle looking little more than ruffled.

“Sleeping potion.” Izzy said, tossing a folded piece of paper at Magnus. “Compared to most we’ve seen, a very strong one.”  
Magnus unfolded the paper and gazed at the words there. It was a sleeping draught with ingredients one would certainly not find in New York. There were a few other reported incidents of the potion being used throughout history, the most notable one making Magnus’ eyebrows raise in disbelief.

“You can’t be serious…”  
“What is it?” said Clary, always curious. 

“What do you want me to do Isabelle, kiss him awake?”

At that, the faces in the room screwed up in confusion. Isabelle simply smirked and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

“That’s not how it really happened.”  
“How what really happened?” came Simon’s nervous voice. It seemed the vampire was always nervous.

The paper in Magnus’ hands floated down onto the chair where he tossed it. His arms folded across his chest, expression exasperated.  
“In 19th-century Germany, a man wrote a story about a girl who falls asleep for a hundred years and is woken up by true love’s kiss. The real story, however, is a little different.” He sat next to Alec, hand inches away from his boyfriend’s, and continued.

“The girl did fall asleep for a hundred years and someone did wake her up, but not with a kiss, per se. A very powerful warlock who had been in love with the girl for years before this happened had spent the time she’d been asleep scouring the Earth for everything he needed to create an antidote. He finally created the right recipe, and when her mouth wouldn’t open from lack of use, he was forced to put the antidote in his own mouth and give it to her that way.”

Clary and Simon seemed stunned, but Jace and Izzy, who had heard the story many times, simply looked resigned.  
“Do we know the recipe?” Jace asked.

“No.” said Magnus, anger flowing out into his words. “No one does. If that Grimm idiot had written the story as it happened, maybe we would.”

“Well,” started Simon. “There’s got to be something. I mean, we have to try, right?”

“Of course I’m going to try. But right now, I’m going to have a drink.” Magnus magicked himself a glass of alcohol from the nearest bar, and grimaced when he realized what it was. “Who drinks straight peppermint schnapps?”

“Magnus, aren’t you going to do something?”

He looked up at the group before him, more specifically at Clary, who had spoken. “I told you, I’m going to try.”

Jace stepped forward. “Then why are you wasting time getting drunk?”

It took a surprising amount of effort for Magnus to keep himself contained. His cat eyes threatened to reveal themselves from the glamour, but luckily stayed hidden.

“When have I ever not helped you? Huh? When have I ever said, ‘oh, I’m sorry, but I can’t fulfill your ridiculous request today’?”

Clary turned away, obviously embarrassed. Jace at least had the decency to look at the floor. Izzy was stone-faced, while Simon rubbed the back of his neck and blushed.

“I know it may be hard for you all to believe, but I care about Alec. I love Alec. And I will do everything it takes to wake him up. But it took a warlock who was just as, if not more powerful than me 100 years to find an antidote. Which means if I want to find one in a fraction of that time, I’m going to need at least one drink. One minute bit of freedom before I devote every waking moment I have to figuring this out. I have cleaned up all of your messes without expecting so much as a thank you, so I think you can allow me five minutes to collect my thoughts before I do it again.”

His speech finished, Magnus picked up the glass of schnapps and downed It in one gulp. The taste was disarming, and he almost coughed on it. He then magicked a table with all of his herbs before him, placing the paper with the results in front of him.

He didn’t bother to look at the crew as they filed out. He knew they looked as badly as they felt. He’d apologize, later, when he wasn’t overwhelmed.

Isabelle stayed, her eyes boring a hole through Magnus’ perfectly coiffed hair as he bent over his work.

“I’m sorry about them.” She sounded like she meant it, too. “They’re impatient and frustrated. I know you’ll figure this out.”

Magnus sighed, and looked up wearily. “This is a burden on us all. I’m sorry I made it sound like I was the only one affected.”

She nodded before sauntering out, door shutting softly behind her. Magnus took a breath, letting himself feel vulnerable for a moment. 

The term sleeping beauty was appropriate. Without the stress of everyday life weighing on him, Alec looked like he could be a teenager. Magnus wished he could look like that all the time.  
It’s a stupid idea, and it didn’t work last time. He felt silly even considering it again. 

Magnus needs to focus on an antidote…one that he has no idea where to start with.

But he needs to do it, to settle the unease gnawing at his stomach. It won’t hurt anybody, and he’ll tell Alec the second he wakes up so that he doesn’t feel as though he’s taken advantage of him.  
Magnus sits on the plush bed, and strokes a hand over Alec’s cheek.

“Oh, Alexander…”  
Slowly he lowered his head. He paused just before he got there, to take in the sight of his beautiful boyfriend. What if it took Magnus years to find a cure? What if he resented Magnus when he woke up, because Magnus had taken too long, and now his family was old or dead?

“I will do everything I can, Alexander.” 

And then his lips were on Alec’s, soft and warm. That’s one thing that was different from the last time he did this. Alec feels alive this time.

He realized when he retreated that his kiss was a bit sloppier than he intended. It was the schnapps’ fault. Magnus didn’t normally drink it, so he didn’t have a tolerance for it.  
Either way the deed was done. He patted Alec’s hand and moved back to the table where his work lay, waiting for him.

He’d have to start with the remedies he knew for other sleeping potions. There weren’t many to choose from. There was a temporary sleeping potion made from only three ingredients, and he had them all.

Just as he had gathered everything, a small voice said, “Magnus?”

Magnus looked up, expecting Jace or Samuel to be at the door, but no one was there. His eyes flickered over to the only other occupant of the room, and he was looking at him with wide eyes.

“Alexander…?”

The taller man sat up, rubbing his injured palm. “How long was I out?”

Magnus didn’t answer him, but ran over and threw his arms around him. “Hi.” Alec said, returning the embrace. “It’s been a long time, then?”

“Three hours.” Magnus deadpanned.

Alec pulled back, confusion taking over his features. “Wha-three hours? That’s it?”

Magnus ran a hand through Alec’s hair. “Yes, but if you knew what you were under, you’d be just as surprised as I am.”

Alec had leant into his boyfriend’s touch, but still managed to raise his eyebrows expectantly. 

“Dear, that potion Valentine injected you with? It was the same one that Sleeping Beauty took.”

He considered the information for a moment, his eyebrows scrunching together adorably. “But it took a hundred years to find an antidote. I mean, I love you and all, but…did it really only take you three hours?”  
Magnus was too giddy at having his boyfriend awake to be offended. “I didn’t do anything, actually. Well, except…”

Magnus trailed off, his hands leaving Alec’s hair to clutch his shoulder. 

“Mags? Except what?”

It was highly unlikely that that had been what woke him up. No, not even highly unlikely-it was impossible. There was no such thing as true love’s kiss. But nothing else had been done with Alec, except people touching him, and that couldn’t have done a thing. 

“Alexander…I kissed you.”

They both took a moment to stare at each other. It was ludicrous, what he was suggesting. They’d only just said ‘I love you’ two weeks ago, and now suddenly they were true love? 

“I…Is that- I mean…that’s not real, Magnus…” Even he seemed unsure of what he was saying.

“I’ve never seen it, myself. But who knows? There are all sorts of impossible things in this world.”

Alec placed a hand on Magnus’ jaw and stared into his eyes. Magnus could see an overwhelming amount of affection in them. He knew that Alec could see the same.

“I don’t care about us being true love or…whatever…I’m just glad I got to wake up to you.”

Magnus melted under the words, shaking his head in wonderment. “I’m just glad you woke up at all.”

It was easy now, initiating kisses. Often they would both lean in at the same time, always able to read one another. The kiss was passionate, but not overly so. It was still soft, in that lovely way that made Magnus feel loved. Alec’s tongue was a little dry from the three hours out of use, but it went away quickly enough. He could taste a hint of peppermint too, presumably from the schnapps Magnus must have gotten in his mouth.

Abruptly, Magnus pushed Alec away and jumped up, causing him to look concerned. “Did I do something wrong? Was there too much tongue? I’ m never sure how much tongue I should use.”  
Magnus chuckled and patted his chest. “No, darling, you were perfect. It was peppermint schnapps.”

Now Alec was really confused. He put his hand on Magnus’ forehead, checking his temperature. Magnus swatted him away and shook his head. “No, listen. You remember the warlock in the story deposited the antidote into the girl’s mouth?”

Alec nodded. 

“When I kissed you, the only thing that had been in my mouth was peppermint schnapps. That’s the antidote!”

Alec relaxed, understanding now. Then his face turned up into a frown. “Since when do you drink peppermint schnapps? I mean, I know your taste is…broad…but that doesn’t seem your style.”

Magnus simply patted Alec’s shoulder and began texting Isabelle that her brother was ok.

“I was heartbroken. You can’t expect me to get my magic perfect when my boyfriend is lying limp in front of me.”

Alec, now sitting on the edge of the bed, pulled Magnus in between his open legs, hands roaming down his sides until they rested on his ass.

“When have I ever been…limp?”

So maybe Magnus would wait to hit send on that text. 

“You should go under a sleeping draught more often.”

Alec’s only answer was to throw Magnus on the bed and straddle him.

Izzy could definitely wait.


End file.
